Chasing a Shadow: The Tale of a Fugitive
by Evilgrinch
Summary: Set during the events of Goblet of Fire, the fugitive Sirius Black is still on the run from the law (more specifically, Kingsley Shacklebolt). CHAPTER 3 POSTED NOW! Co-starring Remus
1. Were you always this funny?

AUGUST 7th 1994  
  
San José, Costa Rica  
  
"Welcome to San José, capital city of our beloved country and home to over three hundred thousand Costa Ricans," the tour guide paused for comic effect, before adding, "As well as numerous Americans attempting to evade the law!"  
  
The small group of tourists laughed feebly as the sun beat down from high above, scorching their pale skin, and causing beads of sweat to melt out of their pores.  
  
"As you know, Costa Rica is a tropical country with several distinct climactic zones. We are also host to the widest variety of animal species you will find north of the Panama border into South America."  
  
The tourists, unsure of how to respond to this gem of information clapped half-heartedly, one man removing his sun hat to fan away the heat. Realising that he was losing the crowd, the tour guide changed the subject slightly.  
  
"But you don't need me to tell you about the climate or variety of life you will see in Costa Rica - you've all experienced it for yourself! Instead, let me give you a brief history lesson. Can anyone tell me what year Colombus first arrived in Costa Rica, and met our early indigenous inhabitants? Anyone at all?"  
  
A throaty response in an articulate English accent replied. "September 18th, 1502."  
  
The tour guide turned towards the man, whose face was shrouded in the shade his wide-brimmed sunhat provided. "On his third and last voyage to the Americas, I believe."  
  
The guide looked stunned, and a few of the bloated Americans stepped aside.  
  
"Wow...your knowledge is impressive mi amigo. Do you speak Spanish too?"  
  
"Sí, hablo español fluido aunque tengo mis dudas si igual podría ser dicho de usted. ¿Tengo razón?" The man raised an eyebrow and grinned, safe beneath the shadow over his face. The guide looked nonplussed for a moment, swiftly recovering with a smile.  
  
"May I ask your name, Amigo?"  
  
The enigmatic stranger tipped up his hat, revealing a worn, tired face. "My name is Remus James Lupin."  
  
*  
  
On the other side of the city, a clean-shaven and wide-awake Padfoot sat at a café table sipping a cup of real coffee. Unable to procure a job, he had been relying on weekly envelopes from Remus filled with as much money as his under appreciated friend could acquire. It was a selfless [and truth be told, rather foolish] act from the impoverished Moony, but Sirius was too desperate to reject his friend's kind donations as they were almost the only thing that stood between himself and capture. The Dementors had been sent back to Azkaban after the horrific incidence at Hogwarts, but numerous Ministry officials were still scouring the world in search of the fugitive known as Sirius Black.  
  
Sirius finished his coffee, and began to raise himself out of the wooden deckchair; a black speck was growing on the horizon. His attention was drawn towards it as it came closer, eventually revealing itself as Harry Potter's snowy owl, Hedwig. The owl swooped downward, dropping a piece of parchment on his lap, then settled itself down on the floor and began to peck at a few crumbs lodged in the pavement cracks. Frowning at the bird, which was drawing a little attention from the other customers, Sirius unfolded the parchment and began to read.  
  
Dear Sirius,  
  
Thanks for your last letter, that bird was enormous, it could hardly get through my window. Things are the same as usual here. Dudley's diet isn't going too well. My aunt found him smuggling doughnuts into his room yesterday. They told him they'd have to cut his pocket money if he keeps doing it, so he got really angry and chucked his PlayStation out of the window. That's a sort of computer thing you can play games on. Bit stupid really, now he hasn't even got Mega-Mutilation Part Three to takes his mind off things. I'm OK, mainly because the Dursleys are terrified you might turn them all into bats if I ask you to. A weird thing happened this morning, though. My scar hurt again. Last time that happened it was because Voldemort was at Hogwarts. But I don't reckon he can be anywhere near me now, can he? Do you know if curse scars sometimes hurt years afterwards? I'll send this with Hedwig when she gets back, she's off hunting at the moment. Say hello to Buckbeak for me.  
  
Harry.  
  
Sirius frowned. This wasn't the first strange occurrence of the last few weeks, and if things continued deteriorating.well, it would not be the last either. Folding the parchment back up again, he stood and exited the café thoughtfully, analysing the situation.  
  
*  
  
Sirius lay asleep under a pile of blankets, snoring loudly. This was apparently immensely irritating for Buckbeak, who angrily covered his ears with his wings and moved towards the back of the cave as far away from the noise as possible.  
  
Outside, a shadowy figure narrowed his eyes to avoid the light from the crescent moon, and began to approach the cave opening. Sirius continued to snore, as the figure raised his wand, and stepped inside...cautiously and nervously. He opened his mouth to speak, lowering his lips so they were only an inch from Padfoot's ear.  
  
"Well, well, Sirius Black. Fancy meeting you here."  
  
Sirius awoke with a startle, rolling over and knocking the stranger to the ground. He leapt to his feet and grabbed a log of wood from the embers of the fire, swinging it backwards and preparing to strike. "WHO ARE YOU?" he growled. The stranger stood and slowly turned, Sirius lowered his weapon in relief. "Remus! What are you doing here?"  
  
Remus J Lupin brushed a little dirt from his shabby blue cloak and smiled mischievously. "I came to see you of course."  
  
Without stopping to think of exactly what Moony was doing in Costa Rica, Sirius found himself pouncing on his old friend and embracing him warmly. Remus, unsure of how to react, raised his arms in retaliation and patted Sirius on the back several times. "Sirius...I er... can't breathe!"  
  
"Oh! God... Sorry!"  
  
Sirius loosened his hold on his friend and they separated, until he was merely grasping the other's hands. If Remus was at all disturbed, he was polite enough not to mention it. Sirius had been alone for a long time after all.  
  
"How did you find the cave? How long have you been out looking?!?!?" Sirius garbled as he attempted to speak as many words as possible in one sentence.  
  
"I met a tour guide, pointed me in the direction of the beaches. I naturally assumed your cave would be here. You always did love the sea." Remus replied, contentedly.  
  
"Not just the sea, Moony my old friend.everything about it. The sun, the sand, the way the tide comes in and deposits my lunch in the rock pools..."  
  
"Your lunch?"  
  
"Crabs usually... sometimes other shell fish."  
  
Remus wasn't sure whether this was supposed to be funny, but Sirius was grinning wildly for the first time in weeks. He shook his head and grinned back. "After I was in roughly the right place it was only a simple matter of following what sounded like an earthquake to its source."  
  
"Ha. Ha." Sirius replied sarcastically. "Were you always this funny?"  
  
"Yes, I believe I was." Remus's eyes twinkled. "I don't remember you snoring quite so loudly though. You're lucky I wasn't an auror here to arrest you."  
  
"Siriusly.....I mean...er... seriously though...why are you here, Remus?"  
  
Sirius had lowered himself into a sitting position on a rock, expecting to be entertained with a long and probably exaggerated anecdote. He was not to be disappointed. Remus took a deep breath, cycling through his thoughts quickly, and began to speak, pacing back and fourth.his shoes scraping across the sand.  
  
"After everything that happened, I just had to get away for a while and clear my head. It was quite a lot to take in you know, Sirius. So I went back to stay at my parents' house for a few weeks, before starting to look for a new job. I co..."  
  
"Why did you leave Hogwarts?" Sirius interrupted sharply.  
  
"I told you in my letter..." Remus looked haunted. "I could have killed six people that night; I won't forget that. It's hard enough for me to live with, without even considering the possibility that it could happen again. Another accident would have been inevitable. What other choice could I make? Now Sirius, if you are done interrupting....?"  
  
Sirius couldn't help but think that there was too much teacher in Remus sometimes. He gestured his friend on with a wave of his hand.  
  
"Anyway...I stayed at my parents' house for a few weeks before starting to look for another job. I considered applying for a job in a muggle school, but it turns out the government now requires additional qualifications that I cannot afford to take. So. I've been doing nothing really; a couple of days part-time work at St.Mungo's has been the best I could get." Remus sighed. Sirius couldn't help but feel a little upset. For someone who always tried so hard, Moony never got a break.  
  
"How did you manage to send me that money then?"  
  
"I sold the house." Remus muttered under his breath.  
  
"You WHAT!" Sirius screamed, surging to his feet. "You grew up in that house Moony! What the hell would your parents say?"  
  
"Sit down," Remus sighed. Sirius sat. "They didn't seem to mind. They agreed it was the best thing for me to do, so I could get a little money together to help you out."  
  
Padfoot shifted uncomfortably on his rock, a little embarrassed that his best friend had gone to such measures. "Remus...If you had said something, I would never have accep...Wait a moment, you asked your parents if it was okay to sell your house?!...Your parents died years ago." Remus smiled weakly, Sirius wouldn't have noticed it if he hadn't already anticipated his friend's reaction. "I have a portrait of them. It's not them really but it speaks on their behalf. They acknowledged that the past is not as important as the future."  
  
"An admirable sentiment."  
  
"Yes. Well...I'm your friend; your only friend now. I only have two purposes in life. One of them is to make sure you are okay." Sirius could see Remus smile slowly fade.  
  
"And the other?"  
  
Remus looked at him sincerely. "To watch your back."  
  
Sirius pondered the meaning of this statement for a moment, before realising the truth behind Remus' visit. He spoke quickly and anxiously.  
  
"The Ministry...are they in the country?"  
  
"Shacklebolt arrived this morning. They tracked your location."  
  
Sirius mouth gaped open in confusion. "But how? None of my letters have been intercepted."  
  
"The Ministry have more refined techniques of finding people then intercepting letters, Sirius. Aurors have been arriving in every city from Panama to Guatemala. The Dementors may have been packed back off to Azkaban, but the search is far from over. If anything, your appearance at Hogwarts has only furthered Shacklebolt's desperation to find you."  
  
"Why does he want to find me so badly? I'm not doing anything to anyone at the moment." Sirius replied pleadingly.  
  
"The world's most wanted wizard.big catch. Shacklebolt is only our age...could be looking at early retirement if he reels in someone like you. All these Ministry types love the idea of leaving the job before forty with a large pension. I don't blame them." Remus considered the idea for a fraction of a second before replying.  
  
"He'll find you Sirius; it's what he does. You have to leave the country. Head North. Go back to Britain. An old fashioned double bluff. It's the last thing they'll expect."  
  
Sirius looked upwards at Remus, wondering if he should tell him that the perpetual concerned expression on his face was only deepening the lines of premature aging. Then, as if by magic, he remembered Harry's letter.  
  
"Harry sent me a letter this morning."  
  
Remus frowned. "Sirius, I know how important Harry is to all of us, and to you in particular, but he's safe and you aren't; now really is not the time to be thinking about him."  
  
"No...no...it was important. He told me his scar had started hurting again."  
  
"And what relevance does this have to the several dozen aurors slowly closing in on you?"  
  
Sirius glanced around subtly, realising fairly quickly that Remus wasn't being literal. "It has no relevance, but I was thinking it is another good reason to go back to Britain. Something isn't right."  
  
"You may have a point there..." He paused thoughtfully. "I heard an equally worrying rumour a few days ago. It appears that Dumbledore has hired Alastor Moody as my replacement."  
  
"Mad-Eye? I thought he was retired."  
  
"Exactly. Why would Dumbledore hire him unless he suspects that something is amiss?"  
  
Sirius nodded and brushed a little hair out of his eyes. "We leave first thing tomorrow morning."  
  
"Ah no." Remus grinned wolfishly. "I'm afraid you must be mistaken. There's no 'we' here Sirius; I have a hotel room booked for the next three days. I intend to enjoy the weather whilst I'm here."  
  
Remus was smiling again. Sirius began to laugh. "Unbelievable...twelve years, and you haven't changed a bit!"  
  
"Well...what do you expect, Sirius? I'm Remus J. Lupin."  
  
"I would have been extremely disturbed if you weren't."  
  
Remus was grinning broadly as he lifted his hat from the ground and placed it firmly back on his head.  
  
"I'm sure our paths will cross again, Padfoot. I'll try to see Kingsley Shacklebolt whilst I'm in the country."  
  
Sirius frowned. "Surely Shacklebolt will be suspicious if he sees you here. Chances are Snape has been at the Ministry, telling them everything that happened at the Shack. Better to keep a low profile."  
  
"I disagree. I think I can talk him into staying out here a little longer...give you a little time to speak to Harry without the aurors breathing down your neck."  
  
A sudden thought occurred. "...Maybe I should tell Harry I'm returning before randomly showing up."  
  
"Good idea. Send him a letter tomorrow before you leave. Are you flying?"  
  
Sirius sighed condescendingly. "Well...I can't just leave Buckbeak in a cave for the rest of his life!"  
  
Remus laughed, slightly surprised that the years in prison hadn't diminished Sirius' wit. "I'll speak to you soon Sirius, but my hotel locks its doors at midnight. I have to run!"  
  
"Remus! You're a wizard... apparate."  
  
"I told you Padfoot, I'm on vacation."  
  
Remus winked, and jogged away down the beach, kicking sand over his friend playfully as he left. Sirius shook his head to knock away the loose grains, and climbed back into his cave.  
  
The game had begun.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Authors Note  
  
Okay, first things first...I hope you liked the first chapter! I started getting bored, so felt it was time I tried something serious (no pun intended) again, and it arrived in the form of a semi-sequel/continuation to my 'Azkaban: Tale of Revenge' story. Over the next few chapters I hope to introduce Kingsley as a major antagonist, and play with his relationship towards Sirius in a cool cat-and-mouse style. With some luck, future chapters will be longer and better then this fairly concise introduction. Also...let me make it clear that in my opinion Sirius and Remus are not gay, and harbour no feelings towards each other outside of friendship. Obviously all stories are open to personal interpretation though, so I won't do anything as blatantly unfair to the fluff fans as writing Sirius a girlfriend or anything...I am fairly confident that a percentage of those reading will have seen that it stars S/R and thought "ooh.... fluff", so I am appeasing those people by keeping their relationship averagely ambiguous. Think what you will.... but in my opinion, everyone in this story is as straight as an arrow. For those who do dig the fluff aspects though, check out some stories here (www.fanfiction.net/~polkat), I am sure she will appreciate a few more reviews for 'Suddenly'...a story that frankly terrified me. Read and Review!  
  
Enjoy! 


	2. It’s a sort of muggle drink

_Harry –_

_I'm flying north immediately. This news about your scar is the latest in a series of strange rumours that have reached me here. If it hurts again, go straight to Dumbledore – they're saying he's got Mad-Eye out of retirement, which means he's reading the signs even if no one else is._

_I'll be in touch soon. My best to Ron and Hermione. Keep your eyes open, Harry._

_Sirius_

Sirius paused for a moment, trying to decide whether he knew Ron and Hermione well enough to be wishing them his best.  Perhaps it would be better to just wish them a nice day rather then his _best_… but he quickly decided it was not worth the effort of re-writing the entire thing, and so rolled up the grubby piece of parchment and tied it to Hedwig's leg. 

"Okay Hedwig…take this to Harry forthwith, and try to avoid being seen on the way, yes?" Hedwig gave him a reproachful look. "I know you know how to be discreet, it's just very important this time." With a grudging hoot of agreement Hedwig flapped her wings and flew off into the light blue sky. Sirius watched her admiringly for a moment, wishing he had his old motorcycle handy, before retreating to the dank shadows of his cave where Buckbeak resided.

"Not long left now Beaky and we'll be back home, okay? I just need to know you can make the trip before we do this though…I don't want you to collapse half way through and land in the ocean - again." He grinned. "Are you up to it?"

Sirius could swear that Buckbeak frowned. He shook his head; one more week and he'd be entirely crazy; and ambled back out onto the beach.

*

Remus Lupin looked up into the white, rigid ceiling of his hotel room. He had been lying like this for several hours, unable to sleep. Again. A small transparent bottle of sleeping pills sat on the cheap wooden desk next to his bed, the cap unscrewed; a half-empty glass of water resting alongside it.

Remus raised his arm groggily, and focused his eyes on the hands of his wristwatch. At last it was eight AM. With a frustrated exhaling of breath, he pushed himself into a sitting position and turned to face the small desk mirror. 

He observed himself wryly for a moment; the years had not been kind to him. Though his eyes remained bright and young, the crows' feet and wrinkles on his forehead gave the impression of a much older man. Despite only being thirty-four years old, he could easily pass as a man in his late forties. 

Closing his eyes slowly and stretching the loose skin across his face with his hands, Remus tried to remember a time when he had looked young, properly young, but none rose to mind. Even his years with the Marauders were polluted with the knowledge that he was different and would always be, the lines around his eyes pencilled in for later. Perhaps there had never been a time when he looked genuinely young; just times when he looked less old. 

With a laboured push, he stood and stumbled into the bathroom, almost slipping on the slick tiles around the leaking toilet. His dressing gown hung on a sharp wooden peg hammered into the weak plasterboard walls. Leaning over the sink, he splashed a little water over his head, before reaching for the can of shaving foam to remove the slowly emerging grey hairs on his face.

It looked like it would be another fun holiday.

*

In the room next door, Kingsley Shacklebolt had finished running his personalised razor blade over his newly bald head. With a quick towel polish, he inspected it in the mirror and reached for his cologne. 

The sun glistened through the Venetian blinds, casting a warm shadow over the furnishings; no amount of air conditioning was going to prevent this room behaving like an oven by midday. For a moment Kingsley considered casting a temperature-regulation spell, before deciding it wasn't worth the effort. He had always liked the heat anyway.

His two ten-inch wands contained drops of Dementors' blood, intended to strike as much fear into his enemies as the aforementioned creature. Usually they sat in a leather bound holster attached to his shoulder braces underneath his robes.  However, Costa Rica was primarily a muggle settlement, and so, today Kingsley opted for ankle-mounted holsters, one attached to each leg, firmly holding the oak wands under Velcro straps. All it required was a quick hand movement [possibly disguised as tying an errant shoe lace] and he could be unleashing spells faster then Albus Dumbledore himself.

Grinning at his reflection briefly, Kingsley climbed into a pair of brown khaki shorts and a bright green shirt. A quick flick of one of his wands camouflaged the holsters, and he slotted it back into the now invisible contraption clinging to his left leg. He had almost reached the door before he remembered the final touch in the form of a black pair of Oakley's sunglasses.

*

Remus was just finishing getting dressed, his face now clear of the greying stubble that had covered it. Neatly tying his shoelaces and tucking the ends back into the shoes, he approached the door and swung it open. Coincidentally, Kingsley Shacklebolt had done exactly the same thing at exactly the same time, and they found themselves standing in the corridor staring at each other in confusion.

"I'm still asleep," Kingsley muttered quietly, before turning around and re-entering his room. Remus remained in the corridor, slightly bemused. He hadn't realised Kingsley was staying in the same hotel.

A moment later, Kingsley emerged again, and profiled Remus for a moment.

"Are you following me Remus Lupin?" he asked, a smile twitching at the corner of his mouth. "Did the ministry send you?" Kingsley's voice was a dark, soothing baritone. Remus stared on blankly and Kingsley continued. "What on Earth are you doing in Costa Rica?"

The truth: 'I'm here to see Sirius Black, as I presume you are too,' would not do. Taking a moment to gather his thoughts, Remus stammered a reply. "I'm… on, er… holiday, Mr. Shacklebolt." He laughed nervously. "I mean, er, Kingsley." 

Kingsley looked at Remus quizzically for a moment, before his mouth widened into a smile and he stepped forwards with an outstretched hand. Remus forced a smile in response as Kingsley shook his hand enthusiastically. "Wow…Remus Lupin…never thought I'd see you of all people here! How are things? …Are you still working up at Hogwarts? 

Remus shifted uncomfortably at the barrage of questions. "If you must know, I resigned from Hogwarts a few weeks ago. The students were, ah…_unfortunately informed about my condition."_

"Your condition?" Kingsley replied, raising his eyebrow.

"I suffer from Lycanthropy. Have done since I was a boy."

"Ah…" 

Remus stared at Kingsley's ear during the uncomfortable pause.  It had a small gold ring hanging from it.

"It isn't…you know…that time of the month is it?" Kingsley asked, removing his sunglasses and studying the lines on Lupin's face.

"Oh…. God no…not for another three weeks," Remus replied cheerfully, finally letting go of Kingsley's hand and smiling. "However, I have to express my surprise and appreciation that you haven't made a hasty exit and gone to get your hand decontaminated."

Kingsley laughed. "I work in very close proximity with the Werewolf registry; I know you're not contagious. I'll tell you what, technically I'm here on Ministry business, but do you want to come down to the hotel bar?  I'll buy you a beer." Kingsley was smiling again

"Beer?" Remus asked, feeling extremely foolish and out of touch with the modern world.

Kingsley grinned again. "It's a sort of muggle drink.  You'll like it."

"Okay then," Remus agreed.  "Certainly. I never turn down a free drink"

Kingsley clamped his hand on Remus' shoulder and steered him down the corridor. Still somewhat startled by the unexpected appearance of the auror, Remus allowed himself to be led away from his room.

"So, why Costa Rica, Remus?" Kingsley asked randomly, glancing momentarily down at the considerably shorter man.

Remus thought about his answer for a second, a little surprised by Kingsley's ignorance. "I felt like a holiday, and this hotel was cheap," he replied, quickly and flippantly.

"God, I know what you mean.  The Ministry couldn't be bothered to pay out for a good hotel for me either, and there was no way I was going to take money out of my own pocket to be bumped up to a five star place." He looked around dubiously at the mottled walls. "Or a two star place… I'm not in the mood to pay attention to their briefings half the time, let alone pay for my own hotel."

Remus laughed half-heartedly, subtly rolling his eyes. "So, exactly why are you here then Kingsley?"

Kingsley sighed and Remus noticed a look of fatigue on his face. "It's that Sirius Black. The public seems to have forgotten about him, but he's still eluding us. You were in Gryffindor with him at Hogwarts I believe… were you acquaintances?"  
  


Remus remembered hastily that Kingsley had been a Ravenclaw student. "Yes, I knew Black quite well," he replied quietly. "Until that Halloween night, he was one of my closest friends."

"Indeed," the auror remarked briskly. "Nasty business. Whoever said only Slytherin's went bad?" Kingsley laughed loudly at his own joke. Remus chose not to join in, smiling weakly to acknowledge that he was listening.

He was almost relieved when they reached the bar.

*

Sirius meanwhile had chosen, at an extremely bad time one might say, to go and have a quick drink in the bar of a nearby hotel. You would have to be completely idiotic not to realise that, through a staggeringly unlikely turn of events, fate would conspire to make him end up sipping his Irish coffee in the same bar Kingsley Shacklebolt and Remus Lupin were entering.

Luckily however, Sirius was reading a broadsheet copy of the Daily Prophet, effectively covering his entire face. Deep in concentration, neither party noticed each other as Remus and Kingsley slipped into a small table next to the window.

As Kingsley went to get the drinks, Remus scanned the pub. The shoes of the figure sitting at the table opposite, reading the wizarding paper, seemed oddly familiar.  But he wouldn't be so foolish as to be here now, half of Remus' brain clamoured. Oh wouldn't he, the other part asked.  Remus clambered to his feet and walked over, almost falling down in shock as Sirius emerged from behind the newspaper, a line of foam on his upper lip.

"Remus! I didn't know you were staying at this hotel!" Sirius grinned broadly as he spoke, wiping away the foam.

"Jesus Christ! Get the hell out of here, Padfoot!" Remus hissed. "Shacklebolt's over at the bar! Don't you have any common sense at all?" Remus pointed furiously over at the back of Kingsley's bald head. Sirius swore silently and slid further beneath his newspaper.

"Just…. for God's sake just get out of here Sirius. I'll speak to you when you get back to Britain. You're acting like you almost want to be bloody caught!"

Sirius apologised sincerely and Remus returned to his seat, a little perturbed by his friends ridiculous behaviour. The entire world was after him, and he was sitting in a pub drinking coffee and reading the sports page.

A fraction of a second later, Kingsley turned away from the bar carrying two pint glasses full of a strange opaque browny-orange liquid. Sitting back down, he pushed one of the glasses in Remus's direction and gestured for him to drink.

"Trust me, it's good!" Kingsley took a drink, and then lowered his glass.

Remus slowly reached out and lifted the glass, the placemat sticking to the bottom momentarily, before falling back down onto the table. Remus sniffed it uncertainly and drank, the liquid shooting down his throat and into his stomach. It took a few seconds to realise that the unfamiliar flavour of the lager had been tainted by something he did recognise.

Kingsley watched him carefully. "You recognise the taste of Veritserum? Yes… Well, now we come to matters. If truth were told perhaps I have been in the business too long, but I find I do not trust you, nor do I believe that it is merely a coincidence you happen to be in this part of the world considering current circumstances. I have heard Severus Snape's version of events of last June's events, and he is adamant that you have been aiding the fugitive, Sirius Black. He is believed to be in hiding out here, and I suspect that you are here to see him." The auror paused, before continuing, "However, I am quite willing to accept your story if you tell me the same one now." Remus looked on in absolute horror. "I am going to ask you a few routine questions, and the serum will, shall we say, 'encourage' you to answer correctly. Do you understand?"

Remus opened his mouth to say "yes" without a moment's hesitation. He had lost his ability to lie. Sirius listened on from his table opposite, his face still hidden behind the newspaper but his ears ready and alert. 

Kingsley smiled roguishly; he had the upper hand now. He almost deserved an award for the quality of his friendly behaviour towards Lupin. "Question one: have you had contact with the fugitive, Black, since he escaped from Azkaban last year?"

Remus closed his mouth, but it was no use. The answer somehow burst forth. "I have."

Kingsley's smile widened. "Have you had contact with the fugitive, Black, in the last twenty four hours?"

Again, Remus felt the answer exploding from deep inside. "Yes."

"He's here then. Well that's nice to know.  I was over in Greenland last week after an apparent sighting…needless to say it was not pleasant. Alright, just one more final question for now, and then I'm afraid I will have to ask you to accompany Mr. Black and myself back to London. Where is he?" Terrified, Sirius thoughtfully closed his eyes before lowering his newspaper and standing.

Remus winced, and added painfully, "Unless the stupid bastard has moved he's over there at that table."

Kingsley's eyes widened in astonishment and he leapt to his feet, but Sirius had been listening and was moving faster than the auror. Time slowed down as Kingsley kicked his legs upwards, his wands flying out of their holsters and landing deftly in his grasp. Sirius dived backwards behind the table as a powerful spell flew overhead, shattering every window in the room and covering the group in shards of glass.

Remus covered his head as the glass fell about him like a sharp snowfall and crawled away over the wreckage of the table as more spells were fired across the room.

Jets of multicoloured light sliced through the wooden walls, causing portions of the ceiling to collapse in on the inhabitants.  Sirius lay with his back to a crushed table, desperately attempting to dodge the assault, but with no wand it would not be long before one of the jets of light struck him down.

So, with little choice, he raised his hands slowly above his head and stood up. "Kingsley Shacklebolt I presume?" he asked frivolously. This was the end then. The auror did not reply, but the attack stopped as Kingsley conjured steel ropes from the air that wove their way like tentacles around Sirius' abdomen. 

"I'm sorry Kingsley," another voice remarked politely, as if, perhaps, commenting on the weather. "But unless you release Sirius _instantly I will have to turn you into a farmyard animal." Remus Lupin smiled amiably over the top of his wand. "Release him _now_, Shacklebolt." _

TO BE CONTINUED….

------------------------------------------------------

Authors Note

WWW.FANFICTION.NET/~POLKAT

WWW.FANFICTION.NET/~FAEIREX

If you liked this story, and wish me to continue then in addition to writing me a nice and praise filled review, go and read/review some of their stories! They edited this, and if you enjoyed it then I am confident you will enjoy some of the non-slashy stories that you will find at the above links.

Thanks as always to anyone who has made it this far. I like this chapter more then the first, and chapter 3 hopefully promises to be better still. I mentioned it in my authors note for chapter 1, but let me quickly mention again that Remus and Sirius are NOT GAY. Okay, comprende?


	3. It’s not what you think

Sirius felt his ropes loosen, until he fell to the ground gasping for breath. A worn hand reached downwards and helped him to his feet as Kingsley stared on in confusion; a look of disgust slowly covering his face. "I should have realised from the beginning," he muttered.   

"It's not what you think." Moony replied softly. Sirius was surprised, and a trifle annoyed, to see he was smiling.

Kingsley, too, had seen the smile but appeared unconcerned.  "Do you really think you can beat me, Lupin?" he sneered smugly. "I'm a trained auror." 

"Yes, but there are two of us!" Sirius interrupted, picking up a broken chair leg and tapping it absentmindedly against the ground in what he hoped was a threatening manner.

"A werewolf and his wandless friend?" Kingsley laughed. "Perhaps I am too overconfident but I can't see you posing much of a threat."

Remus opened his mouth again to reply, but it was too late. Sirius had thrown the table leg across the room and it had hit Kingsley painfully in the forehead, sending the auror stumbling to the ground. With a grin and a whoop Sirius picked up another piece of debris and began to approach his fallen enemy, before Remus grabbed his arm and dragged him backwards towards the ruins of the bar. 

"What the hell do you think you're doing Sirius?" he demanded, quietly. "You have to get out of here!" he hissed again when his friend showed no signs of moving, glancing back at the prone auror. Sirius raised an eyebrow and started back towards Shacklebolt before finally being pulled violently away by Remus, who was surprisingly strong, and pushed towards the exit where his friend grabbed his shoulders, forcing their eyes to meet. "You'll just make it worse for yourself," Remus said, sincerely. "Get the hell out of here; let me deal with him."

"He's an auror, he'll kill you!" Sirius almost cried, pleadingly in retaliation.  Remus looked stung and too late, Sirius realised that that probably hadn't been the most tactful thing to say in the present situation. "Moony-"

"I can handle myself," Remus replied curtly, giving him a firm shove in the direction of the exit_.  "Go!"_

Remus had always been better at arguing then the other Marauders, this occasion was no different and by the time Kingsley began to climb to his feet, Sirius was running through the exit as fast as his feet would carry him, swearing under his breath.

Lupin's wand arm rose slowly and warily; Kingsley eyed him suspiciously, sliding his left wand back into its holster. "I'll make it a fair duel, Remus, but I have to suggest you give in now, and keep your life," Kingsley remarked haughtily.

"I think we both know I won't be giving in that easily, _Shacklebolt," Remus countered.  "Give it your best shot." He gritted his teeth; unless he was very much mistaken this would be somewhat painful. Remus was never mistaken._

For a moment, the two wizards faced each other in the ruins of the building, glasses still sitting on the bar abandoned by the terrified Muggles then, suddenly, Kingsley drew back his wand arm sharply and muttered an incantation. Remus strained to hear the word, but found, rather inconveniently, that he was too busy flying through the air to catch exactly what had been said. He crashed painfully into the back of the bar shattering several antique bottles of Rum that had stood behind it for years and landing awkwardly next to a keg of Guinness.

The bar had splintered and drops of blood began to fall into his eyes.  Remus raised his hands tentatively to his forehead and found a fragment of wood embedded above his eyebrow. Forcing his eyes closed he ripped it out, causing the blood to flow more freely. Remus comforted himself with the thought that it was probably cleaning the wound, and raised his wand.

"Expelliarmus!" 

Kingsley roared with anger as the spell hit him in the chest, knocking him off balance and into the wall. His wand dropped from his hand and rolled away across the ground. Seeing this, a very bruised and bloodied Remus Lupin emerged awkwardly from behind the ruins of the bar, his wand ready and aimed.

"PETRIFICUS TO…"

But before he could finish uttering the incantation, Kingsley had leapt towards him and grabbed his ankle, pulling him towards the ground.  Wands forgotten, Remus felt a fist hit his cheek, several teeth shattering in his mouth and coppery blood rising up to fill the space as they splintered into his gum. Two more blows rained down onto his body, and he rolled over spluttering. Kingsley pushed himself, panting, to his feet and stood triumphantly over his fallen enemy for a moment before he grimaced and took a step backwards and kicked, his foot making agonising contact with Remus's ribs a split second later.  As the werewolf groaned, Kingsley readied himself for another attack. He drew back his leg in preparation but before he could complete the movement a deep growl spread through the room.  He stopped and turned abruptly, as a huge, black, shaggy dog bounded through the broken window.

Kingsley reached for his second wand, but the dog had apparently suspected this movement and had already clamped its jaws viciously around his arm in question. It reared up on its back legs, and knocked him to the floor, its padded paws pressing more firmly against his arm as he tried to get a better grip on the wand in its holster. The paws began to change, morphing into human hands.

The auror blinked in astonishment as the shaggy black hair instantaneously receded back into the animal's skin to reveal Sirius Black, his hands gripping Kingsley firmly.

"You're a… an… anim-" he stuttered incomprehensively.

"An Animagus?" Sirius offered helpfully, grinning somewhat cheekily for the situation. "Yes, I'd noticed."

Remus groaned slightly and tried to say something that was probably _"for God's sake Sirius." The Animagus' head turned towards his friend, as Kingsley's hand snaked towards his wand again, but Sirius' foot slammed down over his wrist, pinning him to the floor. Kingsley now realised the fugitive was holding Remus Lupin's wand, pointing it at him._

"I don't think you should try that again, Shacklebolt," Sirius continued softly, almost amiably but his eyes betrayed his irritation and his hand moved closer, pressing the tip of the wand into Kingsley's forehead.

"You wouldn't!" Kingsley garbled desperately; the calm of before dispelled.

"Oh, wouldn't I?" Sirius laughed mirthlessly. "You're so quick to assume that I handed the Potters over to Voldemort, and murdered all those innocent muggles."  The wand pressed deeper as Sirius's anger grew, receding again sharply when Remus gave another groan and began to struggle up.  He looked over with concern; Remus shook his head and indicated the auror still lying prone at Sirius' feet. The animagus turned back to his captive and grinned, teeth glinting. "If I'd kill my best friend why I wouldn't I kill an auror? Especially one who, if freed, would certainly make sure I was sent back to Azkaban at the very least; given the Dementor's kiss if you could manage it," he asked more calmly, as his friend climbed to his feet.

"Aren't you beginning to realise the truth?" Remus whispered hoarsely, a smile tugging reluctantly at his lips, blood dripping from between his broken teeth.

"Realise what truth?" Kingsley mumbled, trying to disguise the fear in his usually calm voice. Why he wasn't dead already was a mystery to him; Black could have killed him instantly; did he just insist on torturing his victims first?

"Sirius is _innocent_," Remus insisted wiping away some of the blood with a pocket-handkerchief. "Severus Snape lied to you, to everyone. Sirius is not guilty of any of the crimes he was imprisoned for, without a trial, I might add, and _had_ the authorities looked at the case in a little more depth or indeed, at all, they might have discovered that for themselves. The true culprit…the real man you are looking for… is Peter Pettigrew." 

Kingsley let out a laugh, which was quickly silenced with a glare from Black. "Pettigrew is _dead_," he replied. "He was your friend; you should have noticed… if you can't come up with a better scapegoat then a dead, rather dim-witted but essentially good hearted _hero, you can hardly be surprised if I do not believe you." Remus smiled feebly at Sirius, his teeth reddened from the quickly drying blood, as if to say _'well, I tried.'__

"So, what should we do with him now, Moony?" Sirius asked dryly.  "I suppose a drop of revenge is out of the question?"

"Entirely out of the question," Remus confirmed.  

"Knew I shouldn't have asked you." 

Remus grinned. "I think it would be better to leave the one other person who knows the truth alive, don't you?" Sirius grumbled slightly and stood up, still pointing the wand at Kingsley. Remus rolled his eyes. "We'd better be on our way, and let him settle up the bill here." His smile widened into a broader grin as he stepped closer to his friend and the auror. "I didn't think much of that muggle drink, by the way," he confided. "A bit too sour for my liking… perhaps next time we should just stick to something simpler, something without veritaserum in it."

Kingsley nodded weakly, still trying to sort though all this new information in his mind. He felt the pressure on his wrist relax and reached for his wand, preparing to curse the pair of them.

But, unfortunately, they had already gone; disappeared, literally, into mid-air. 

TO BE CONTINUED…………………..

_A/N._

_Well, finally got around to posting this chapter. It has been edited so much now I barely remember exactly how much of it was in the original draft…anyway, its up…and I hope people enjoy it *sort of* even if it does kinda suck compared to the other two chapters. Am in no hurry to write Chapter IV, so don't hold your breath kids! As always, if you liked this story go and read some here The Tom Riddle story is especially good._


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